Funny thing about marrying an Israeli (there are many): hummus goes from being an appetizer/condiment to a full-on main event. When we were dating, Koby would often make a whole “light” dinner out of a chopped salad, a loaf of crusty bread and plate of hummus topped with sautéed mushrooms, tehini, and a Yemenite condiment known as ‘schug.’ Love at first sight, really.
Fast forward to 2013, and our first AirBNB experience. Koby and I were visiting our families in Israel with our 7-month old son, Noah. Previously, we had always stayed with fam, but this time we wanted some quality bonding time as our own new little family unit, so we booked this beach bungalow right on the water in Jaffa, the ultimate “zoola,” complete with a roaming chicken, and sofas on the lawn overlooking the Mediterranean. We couldn’t have known then that our host, Gilad, would become one of our best friends, or that I would dedicate a whole post to how his method of treating the chickpeas would lead to my own Hummus Enlightenment.
Jaffa/Yafo is a beautiful ancient port city in Israel, and one of the few places that Israelis and Palestinians live/work/eat side by side. And it’s real cool.
The freshest, most authentic hummus I’ve ever had is from a Jaffa restaurant known as Hummus Abu Hassan. Swarms of people line up for the meticulously-made warm, creamy, almost delicate hummus, spiced with cumin and paprika, and seasoned with tahini, garlic, lemon and olive oil. This product was worlds away from the imitation that you can buy in almost every American grocery store.
The traditional way to prepare the chickpeas is by soaking them for 12+ hours in water w/baking soda, then cooking them, which is great. But, sometimes I want to make hummus and it’s spontaneous! I use organic canned chickpeas, where the ingredients are simply chickpeas, water, and salt (no preservatives!).
When Gilad came to visit us in NYC, he took over my kitchen and showed me his genius way of recreating the Abu Hassan experience at home. First, he drained and rinsed the chickpeas, then simmered them in water for about 10 minutes. Warming the chickpeas, and using some of the hot simmering water creates the creamiest, lightest hummus that is just begging to be mopped up with hot fluffy pita bread. I’m warning you though, once you make this hummus, it will probably be really hard to eat it prepared any other way, and may turn you into a hummus snob.
Quick Authentic Jaffa Style Hummus
Fast, authentic, and super creamy! This hummus is the real deal, and can be a light dinner or appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 15oz. can of organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 medium cloves of garlic
- 2/3 c tahini paste
- 4 T olive oil
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 large lemon, juiced, or more to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Reserve 7 or 8 beans to use as garnish.
- Step 2 Place rinsed, drained beans in a small saucepan and cover with water and 1/2 tsp baking soda.
- Step 3 Bring to a boil and cook for 6-8 minutes.
- Step 4 Drain the beans, reserving 1 cup of the hot cooking water.
- Step 5 With the food processor running, drop the whole garlic cloves in so they get chopped fine.
- Step 6 Remove the processor lid and add the drained beans, and process for 1.5 minutes.
- Step 7 Then add the tahini, olive oil, cumin, lemon juice, and salt. Process until completely combined.
- Step 8 Stream the hot cooking water in through the lid of the food processor until you reach your desired creamy consistency, about 3/4 c.
- Step 9 Spoon the hummus out into a shallow bowl, and with the back of a spoon, make a groove for a generous drizzle of fruity olive oil, sweet paprika, za’atar, fresh chopped parsley, and the reserved beans. You can even top with sauteed mushrooms or roasted veggies for a light, vegan lunch/dinner.
- Step 10 Serve immediately with warm pita bread or fresh cut veggies. Enjoy! *Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I love to see what you’re making, so remember to tag your pics with #lionsbread -xo
